Another One Bites the Dust
by The 'Jae' is Silent
Summary: You have all taught me a great number of things. Teamwork. Friendship. The list goes on. I'd like to teach you a lesson, whether you live or die. Sacrifice. Church's last thoughts during the final moments of Season 13. One-shot.


**Yes, there is cursing in the original episode. No there is not cursing in this one-shot. Deal with it.**

 **Another One Bites The Dust**

"I just want you to know… I hate you all the least."

 _That's not untrue, despite the many other things that I've said to you all. We've been through so much together._ Church smiled slightly.

Tucker laughed. "See you on the other side, Church."

Church sighed heavily. Time slowed as the attackers began to cut through the door. "Not this time, buddy." His rifle disappeared into a burst of light blue pixels.

And that was it. The last words hear would ever hear from his teammate. _Teammate. Ally. Friend._ There were a lot of things he could call the aqua armored trooper, although they would not pass his lips.

Delta appeared by his side. "Are you sure of this?" The green A.I sounded a bit uncertain himself.

"I'm sure. Start a recording for me, D."

The A.I accepted his decision. "Recording." His voice became slightly more mechanical as he too, disappeared in a burst of brightly colored light. They disappeared, just like his friendships. _Were they real? I was never really a true person, was I?_ He took a deep breath, looking over the others one by one. _There was a time I considered some of you enemies. But now, there is no time for petty rivalries._

Red Team. Sarge, Grif, Donut, and Simmons. They had their quirks. Each was unique in their own way. Sarge, with his leadership skills. Simmons, with his geeky knowledge. Donut, well, he speaks for himself. And even Grif was unique, having a sport named after him. Grifball… what an original name.

Blue Team. Caboose and Tucker. Sure, he had entertained the thought of killing both at one time. After all, Caboose had killed him. _But was I really a human? Did I really die?_

He took a deep breath. "Hey guys. If you're hearing this, it means you did it. You won. You kicked the crap out of Hargrove's forces, I knew you could. But this is my last stop." _You know what? I'm not that sad about that. I know that this is what my purpose is._

"See, when I came into this world, I was... really just a collection of somebody else's memories. But with your help, these memories, they took form. They became... my voice, my personality. And, after a while I began to make brand new memories of my own." _And here, in a few moments, I will lose them all. I… I still don't feel disappointed, sad, I'm not concerned. They seem like such trivial things compared to what lies ahead of me._

"All of these things are... what make me who I am. But they're also holding me back. I can't run this suit, as Epsilon. But if I erase my memories, if I... deconstruct myself, the fragments I'll leave behind will have the strength to get you through this. I believe that. I wish there was another way. But I'm leaving this message, as well as others, in the hopes that you'll understand why I have to go this time." _Gone. Forever._ A twinge of remorse ran through his gut.

"It was- it was actually Doyle who made me realize something I never thought of before. There's so many stories where some brave hero decides to give their life to save the day, and because of their sacrifice, the good guys win, the survivors all cheer, and everybody lives happily ever after. But the hero never gets to see that ending. They'll never know if their sacrifice actually made a difference. They'll never know if the day was really saved. In the end, they just have to have faith. Ain't that a pain." The recording stopped.

 _Will it matter, in the end? Will they still die? Will I have died in vain?_

 _You know what? You have all taught me a great number of things. Teamwork. Friendship. The list goes on. I'd like to teach you a lesson, whether you live or die. Sacrifice. Maybe if we die, our families will receive medals. What will it matter? Will they get over us? I don't have family, do I? When I die here… if they die here…_

Church sighed once more and spoke one last time. "I know you'll never hear me. But if you make it out of this hole… will you remember me?"


End file.
